Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate

I am a pumpkin junkie in every way but pie. Odd, isn’t it? Most people who love pumpkin are big fans of pumpkin pie. Me, I’m a berry pie girl. But if something other than pie claims to be pumpkin flavored, I’ll buy it. My favorite coffee drink is Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latté. My favorite soup is pumpkin curry. I wait all summer for pumpkin ice cream to show up. And then, there is my lovely fall companion, pumpkin bread.

I fell in love with pumpkin bread several years ago when I didn’t know it could be pumpkin bread (If you’re one of those people who has always known about the existence of pumpkin bread, good for you. I didn’t know there was such a thing. I only knew about pumpkin pie). I discovered it several years back masquerading as something Panera Bread calls a “Muffie,” which is just a little cake shaped like the top of a muffin. My longtime friend Jodi raved about these little mouthfuls of heavenliness until I made her go with me to Panera after work one day to get one for myself. We ordered chai lattés and pumpkin muffies, and sat there happily surrounded by the scents and flavors of fall spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. Mmmm. My tummy feels warm just remembering it. That was the beginning of me and pumpkin bread – I just didn’t know it yet.

Then, a couple of years ago, I spent a few months while I was between careers working as a nanny for two darling little boys named Nicholas and Alex. Their mom, Lisa, decided one day to take me up on my offer to cook or bake for her any time, and left me the recipe and ingredients for her pumpkin bread. I spent Alex’s afternoon nap time that day making it, and I remember thinking the house smelled just like one of those delectable pumpkin muffies. Lisa sent me home with some of the bread that night, and in fact, it was better than a pumpkin muffie.

I took out the recipe a couple of weeks ago, and E, who has become addicted to those dark chocolate chips I keep mentioning, hinted around that he thought they might improve the pumpkin bread. I acquiesced out of my own curiosity. He was right.

I also switched out some of the all-purpose flour for white whole wheat flour – nothing new there, right?

It’s delicious for breakfast with a cup of coffee, as a snack with tea, or even warmed up for dessert with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

This recipe is simple – just mix and bake. And even if you’re not a pumpkin lover, I think there’s a good chance you’ll gobble this up.

Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate


1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups evaporated cane juice or white sugar
3 large eggs
15 ounces pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup dark chocolate or (semi-sweet) chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two regular-size loaf pans with oil.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and evaporated cane juice until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the pumpkin puree and the water, mixing until fully combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, about a cupful at a time, mixing well after each addition. The batter will be on the thin side, quite like cake batter.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour into the loaf pans and bake 60-75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack until just warm, and invert the loaves out of the pans. Cut a still-warm piece and take your first bite. Fall head over heels.

Keeps best in the refrigerator for up to one week, or can be frozen.

Makes two loaves.

Here’s the printable recipe. Happy baking!